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Fall of Seradon
The Fall of Seradon was a major conflict between the Imperium of Man and the Necrons. Background The Fall of Seradon was conflict between the Imperium of Man and the Necrons. In 996.M41 the Agri-world of Seradon was revealed to be a Tombworld as the Necrons awaken from their slumber. But Seradon was close to the Pallas System, home of the Blaze Ravens. They did not take kindly to their awakening and immediately responded to the threat. The battle would soon gather more belligrants. Soon the Techno Legion would answer the call. The eldar of Craftworld Iyanden would also become involved in the struggle against the Necrons. Prelude Iyanden's Warning At the very end of 995.M41 the Blaze Ravens were suddenly contacted by a Farseer of the Craftworld Iyanden. The Blaze Ravens chose not to attack as they did not appear to be hostile, instead wishing to know what the Eldar wanted. Without warning their Farseer appeared to their Chapter Master, Dante, and gave a strange cryptic warning. "Behold the fertile cradle, for those who have never felt will awake from deepest idleness. All will submerge in death itself" Shortly afterwards they disappeared, probably returning to their craftworld. Dante was deeply disturbed by their message. The eldar are a fickle race and were seldom straight forward with anything, however they always had a reason in their methods. What disturbed Dante the most were the words "...those who have never felt will awake from deepest idleness." This description was painfully similiar to the dreaded Necrons, eon old enemies of the eldar and all of life. The more he pondered this the clearer the message was. On some world, the Necrons would soon awaken. Immediately alarmed, Dante immediately recalled the entire chapter from their campaigns and return to Pallas lll. Immediately he sent an astropathic message to every world in the Crius Sector as well as neighboring chapters, warning to mobilize their forces and prepare for an imminent Necron attack. In the mean time, the Blaze Ravens continued to regroup at their homeworld. Dante knew that even a minor Necron awakening is serious threat, so he took no chances and mobilized the whole chapter and several Pallasian regiments for war. Necrons Rising "We... Are... Returning! We... Shall... Conquer...All! The... Living... Shall... Shall... Suffer... For... Taking... Our.. Lands!" Dante's message was recieved by the Seradon PDF who heeded a space marine's warning and began mobilizing their forces, though for what they did not know. But it was too little too late. Seradon was only a agri world of vast paddy fields and terraces, it did not possess a very powerful defense force. Under the surface of Seradon, the Necrons were already awakening. Triggered by their eon old programming, the Necrons began awakening from the Great Sleep. The Necron Overlord was the first to wake. The Necron Lords started awakening shortly after. They started to activate the rest of the Seradon Necrons, and in short time, the entirety of the Seradon Tombworld's Necron forces were awakened. Initial Attack The Seradon PDF was sent realing in face of such a threat. Though they had already begun to mobilize they were still completely outmatched. From the planet's cave systems, legions of Necron warriors poured out. Subterranean hangars, unused in eons, began opening across previously unbroken ground. Hordes of Nights Scythes rose into the sky and struck PDF bases and cities across Seradon. Much of the PDF aircraft was destoryed while still on the ground. Within days all cities and bases across Seradon were under siege, many fell within the same day. The Seradonian PDF was totally under equipment to fight such a foe. Much of their equipment was old and in need of maintenence. The bulk of the armored forces were a few hundred old Malcador Heavy Tanks and handful of Macharius heavy tanks. On the entire planet they had only one Baneblade. However they did possess a solid fleet of Tauros Venators to compensate. The only remaining air asset they had was the 5555th Bomber Wing which was located underground along with a few dozen fighter squadrons. However to their credit they put up a fight. In orbit were three Dauntless Lighter Cruisers and two Cobra class destroyers. These ships made up the bulk of Battlegroup Seradon. They lent what aid they could to the beleagured defenders, striking from orbit with lances and torpedos. Now they were actually able to cause some damage as whole columns of Necrons were destroyed. However this was only a brief victory. None noticed the dark shapes that were rising from Seradon's moon. Several Necron ships appeared from no where and immediately destroyed Battlegroup Seradon. The defenders resorted to scorched earth tactics to slow the invaders down, however this did nothing to halt the slow and methodical advance of the xenos. The 55th Heavy Tank Regiment was ordered to go on the attack and push back the invaders. The 55th pooled the planet's entire arsenal of heavy tanks, including their sole Baneblade for the task. In the battle of Saphonli Fields they engaged a force of Monoliths and Destroyers and fought valiantly. The 5555th Bomber Wing flew several sorties to support the 55th. However the regiment was ambushed by a force of Wraiths who phased into the tanks and slaughtered their crews. Within a few hours the entire regiment was wiped out. After that devastating loss, what PDF units that were still intact retreated to the planet's few cities to dig in and prepare was the xeno attack. Five major hive cities still stood, Sersius, Cerberonis, Primulon, Onielton, and the planetary capital Charcedon Primus. Ugly fighting ensued where the defenders fought hard to defend their home. However the outcome was never in doubt. Within three weeks, almost half of the planet was conquered. Many of the sieges by now were over, the defenders flayed alive by the technology of the Necrons. The remaining PDF forces had scattered to avoid becoming a sizeable target. These remaining forces resorted to a guerrilla war to stop the invaders. While, the bulk of their forces remained besieged, other forces attempted to harry the invaders from behind. Ambushes were immediately forgoed as they had no chance against the cold prowess of the mechanical xenos. Instead they repeatedly lured them across the paddy fields into the crosshairs of their snipers. The Necrons warriors became bogged in the mud. Their vulnerable position put them where imperial snipers dispatched them. However this tactic only to slow them down. The xeno-machines more often survived the first shot and multiple rounds were required to kill them, this revealed their postions to necron Deathmarks or alerted their Flayers. To their horror, the necrons still refused to die, they only vanished, leaving no trace of there presence. If reinforcements did not arrive soon then Seradon would fall. Imperial Attack Initial Space Battle Little more than two weeks after the Necrons first awakened, the Imperial fleet arrived in the Falathus System. Along with the bulk of the Blaze Raven fleet, most of Battlefleet Crius translated into realspace. More than fifty ships approached Seradon in preparation for confrontation with the xenos. Enroute to Seradon they detected several unidentified vessels in orbit over the planet, they were not imperial. A necron fleet had amassed over the planet. One Sycthe class, three Shroud class, and a few Jackal class ships were already arrayed in a bizzare formation. Compared to the Imperial fleet they were heavily outbumbered, however even a few necron ships are a grave threat to any battlefleet. The Necrons were extremely dangerous foes, and recklessness would be foolhardy in the extreme. However the Imperial forces were pressed for time. Chapter Master Dante was painfully aware that if they did not breakthrough the Necron blockade soon then the people on the surface were doomed. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Battle of Seradon Landfall With Imperial ground forces on Seradon being decimated, Imperial reinforments rushed to their aid. Normally the chapter would prefer to deploy swiftly via teleportation, but some some form of xeno technology caused a signal blackout around the planet preventing their use. Therefore Dante's attack plan called for a three waved air borne invasion. The Blaze Ravens were to be part of the first wave. First, hundreds of Deathstorm drop pods landed amist the enemy and drew their fire away from the defenders, buying time for them to reload and reposition. Simultaneously orbiting ships would rain fire from above and the Imperial navy would launch waves of bombers. Moments later, one quarter of the entire chapter screamed towards the surface in drop pods. In the remaining bastions of human resistance they landed just behind friendly lines and moved to aid the beleagured defenders. For the moment the imperial lines across the planet were stabilized and the enemy was held off. However the imperial bombers took heavy losses from Doom Scythes and ground based gauss fire. But with the enemy now shored up the third wave of reinforcement made its way to the surface. Wave after wave of imperial Valkyries, Thunderhawks, and space marine landing craft descended to battles all over Seradon. The third wave battled through fierce gauss fire and many ships were lost on descent. In spite of that the third wave was able to reach their comrades and reinforce them. Once they landed they would digorge a flood of imperial troops, vehicles, and the entire Blaze Raven chapter. Embattled The opening battles were brutal on the defenders. They had dug in throughly with minefields, pillboxes, and sniper nests. They also repositioned their tanks and artillery in artilley support roles. However the Necrons made a mockery of these defenses. The necrons completely bypassed most of their defenses by teleporting directing into their forifications without warning. Many imperial guardsmen were slaughtered before they could even reach their weapons. Only the strength of the space marines were able to stand fast against the attacks and this was greatly due to their numbers. Bitter city fighting ensued as the imperials bravely fought to repulse the necrons. Sheer firepower was the only true deterrant against the necron hordes. The imperial line was holding but was still being ravaged. With the number of dead rising, the Chapter Master's wrath came to a boil. He immediately discarded all previous strategies and adapted. The fleet in orbited laid a strategic orbital barrage that temporarly drove the Necrons back. In a suprise move the imperial forces scattered. The continous defensive line disolved as the Blaze Ravens broke up into companies. Dante chose to adopt a hedgehog strategy where many small and independant positions were to hold out. With each company and their guardsman with their back to the wall they fought all the harder and the necrons could no longer bypass most of their defenses. The enemy phalanxes could pass by some of the bastions as they would advanced further they would become more vulnerable to flank attacks. The Necrons soon returned and stronger than ever. In there lull of the battle they had awakened more of their legions and their war machines. Now Destroyers, Monoliths, and Annihilation Barges appeared in force. Their ranks slammed into the imperial bastions. The new defense was holding againt the Necron offensive if just barely. Worse still, the orginal plan to fight a fighting retreat and evacuate was no longer an option. Their fleet was still engaging with the illusive necron fleet and an evacuation attempt would leave them vulnerable. Effectively they were stranded until the fleet can relieve them. The defenders were taking severe punishment from the Necrons and would not last forever. Call for Aid It soon became apparent that the Imperial defenders would only last for so long. Their orbital support was by far their greatest saving grace, but they were still engaged in a cat-and-mouse chase with the Necron fleet. Slowly the brutal sieges were sapping the defender's strength. With the situation turning desperate, the Blaze Ravens sent a sector wide astropathic call for aid. The Techno Legion were among those who received it, and sent half their forces to aid. Arrival of the Techno Legion The Techno Legion sent half their forces to aid and they arrived 6 days later. Reorganization After the arrival of the Techno Legion and the Mechanicus reinforcments, the Imperial defense was revived and morale recovered. The entire imperial army reorganized itself under the umbrella of three major army groups. The Death Korps fell under the 501st Siege Korps, the Elysians and Harkoni regiments became the 101st Air Wing, and the remaining Pallasian forces and Cadian troops merged into the 808th Central Front. The 501st was to fortify the current imperial positions and act as a reserve force. The 101st was created as a rapid reaction force and provided swift reinforcments across the campaign. The 808th would be the primary driving force of the imperial forces, spearheading their attacks. Battle of Blacksteel Ridge As the human reinforcments arrived in force, the Imperials began to regroup with their scattered forces. With the surge of enemy forces the Necrons were momentarily forced on the back foot. One by one the Adeptus Mechanius were landing titans from legio Thanatos and Praetorian. Among the Mechanicus forces was the dreaded black legio of the Interfectors. The Tech-priests began painstackingly blessing their sacred war machines and awakening their machine spirits for battle. Sensing that the humans would regain momentum, the Phaeron launched a concentrated attack directed to bisect the Imperial army before it could mobilize. It was a powerful force of necron warrior augmented by several cells of Immortals and Wraiths were accompanied by Monoliths and Heavy Destroyers. Besides the endless paddy fields there was only one major geological barrier, Blacksteel Ridge. The 99th Pallasian Infantry was mobilized to defend the ridge at all costs, entrenching their 12th Artillery Company behind the ridge as support. The 100th Pallasian Armoured was also positioned to help the defense, also accompaning them was the mighty 9th Super-Heavy Tank Company and their Shadowswords. The Blaze Ravens moved their 3rd and 5th Company to augment the defenders. They spread out across the ridge, squads taking command of whole companies of guardsmen. Among them were several Vindicators and Whirlwinds. Combat engineers constructed ramps just behind the ridge for the Shadowswords so that they can quickly shoot over the ridge before pulling back and repositioning. The 97th Company was composed of numerous Vanquisher tanks and Punishers. The Vanquishers were positioned on top of the ridge on the ramps flanking the Shadowswords while the Punishers were positioned among the infantry. The 68th Company's Eradicators and Exterminators were dug into trenches on the ridge. The majority of the infantry were dug into prefab pillboxes and trenches with snipers and heavy weapons teams scattered across the ridge. The Battle The Necron force teleported not far from the ridge, several phalanxes marches in perfect formation. The opening barrage was devastating, a furious storm of Gauss fire saturated the ridge. Meanwhile Doom Scythes dueled and severely punished Imperial fighter wings. Necron forces suffered under the combined barrages of the Imperials, blowing numerous holes in their phalanxes, but the storm of lasgun fire was negligible. They also proved suseptable to becoming stuck in the rice paddies and could not scale the slopes easily. But this did not stop the metal hordes from advancing anyway. With a determination fueled only by cold logic and a hatred as old as the stars, they broke through the outer defenses. Human resistance proved stiff and refused to break even under horrendous bombardment from bizzare Necron artillery. Monoliths scoured the outer perimeter's trenches and tanks with sweeping blasts from gauss beams, whole platoons were being annihilated in seconds. With the frontlines being methodically scoured, the situation was turning increasingly desperate. From the ridge, Vanquishers continued to trade fire with fleeting Heavy Destroyers and tried to take down the Monoliths at extreme range, but proved they could only pepper them. Shadowswords grouped their fire in pairs inorder to one-two the monoliths, their combined power now annihilating them one by one. But the Necron Lord held a suprise in store. With human eyes fixed on the main force, no one noticed the gliding figures drifting in and out of existance. An entire cell of Wraiths had now infiltrated Imperial defenses, their target, the tanks. They phased directly into the tanks of the 66th and 97th companies and slaughtered the crews. Imperial Offensive Operation Titanomachy The Discovery Imperial Attack Battle of Magna CIty Operation Comet Arrival of Iyanden Imperial Order of Battle Adeptus Astartes *Blaze Ravens *Techno Legion Marines Imperial Guard Forces 501st Siege Korps *66th Death Korps Regiment **76th Heavy Artillery Company *99th Death Korps Regiment (destroyed) *108th Death Korps Grenadiers *308th Death Riders of Krieg (destroyed) 101st Assault Wing *44th Elysian Drop Regiment (destroyed) *636th Elysian Drop Regiment (destroyed) *103rd Harakoni Warhawks (destroyed) *111st Harakoni Warhawks (destroyed) 808th Central Front *99th Pallasian Infantry Regiment **12th Artillery Company *100th Pallasian Armoured Regiment **9th Super-Heavy Tank Company **97th Tank Company (destroyed) **68th Tank Company (destroyed) *101st Pallasian Home Guard **666th Storm Trooper Company *117th Cadian Shock Regiment *831st Cadian Shock Regiment Other *Seradon Planetary Defense Force (disbanded) **55th Heavy Tank Regiment (destroyed) **66th Seradon Infantry Regiment ***13th Artillery Company *Techno Legion Guardsmen Imperial Naval Support *Battlefleet Crius **Battlegroup Seradon (destroyed) ***5555th Seradon Bomber Wing (destroyed) **Battlegroup Pallas ***4777th Bomber Wing ***5111st Bomber Wing ***3112nd Bomber Wing Legio Titanicus Support *Legio Thanatos **''Sors Immanis'' (destroyed) *Legio Praetorian **''Pontifex Mortis ('destroyed) *Legio Interfector **''Mortifer'' (destroyed) **''Spritus Raptor'' (destroyed) **''Angelus Mortis'' (destroyed''') Eldar Order of Battle *Eldar Warhost Necron Order of Battle *All Necron War Cells *Seradon Fleet *Nutaron VI Escape Fleet Aftermath Trivia Category:DirgeOfCerberus111 Category:Battles Category:History Category:Necrons Category:Military conflicts Category:Tardir